Their surprise duet of “Where The Blacktop Ends” turned the stage into a wildfire — vocals soaring, crowd screaming, cameras scrambling to keep up. But the most shocking moment wasn’t the duet. It came at the very end, when Keith took a breath

Keith Urban has made his return to the awards show stage for the first time since his split from estranged wife Nicole Kidman.

On Wednesday, Nov. 19, Urban, 58, attended the 59th Annual CMA Awards at Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena, where he performed his 1999 hit “Where the Blacktop Ends” alongside host Lainey Wilson.

Urban’s performance came as the finale to Wilson’s intro, which featured a medley of popular songs from her famous friends in the audience, including Miranda Lambert, Shaboozey and Little Big Town.

The crowd rose to their feet as Urban surprised Wilson, 33, on stage, guitar in hand for the duet. At the end, the “Hang Tight Honey” singer introduced Billy Ray Cyrus and Elizabeth Hurley as the first presenters of the night.

Check out all of PEOPLE’s full CMA Awards coverage here.

In addition to Urban, the 2025 CMAs will also feature performances by Lambert, Ella Langley, Kelsea Ballerini, BigXthaPlug, Brandi Carlile, Kenny Chesney, Luke Combs, Riley Green, Patty Loveless, Megan Moroney, Old Dominion, The Red Clay Strays, Shaboozey, Chris Stapleton, Zach Top, Tucker Wetmore, and Stephen Wilson Jr.

PEOPLE confirmed on Sept. 29 that Urban and Kidman, 58, had separated over the summer. The following day, the Babygirl star filed for divorce after 19 years of marriage.

After the news of the split broke, Urban performed his first show at Giant Center in Hershey, Penn., as part of his High and Alive World Tour.

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During the premiere episode of The Road — which Urban filmed months before news of the split broke — on CBS on Sunday, Oct. 19, the star opened up about the difficulties of life on the road as a touring musician.

“It’s a calling and you’re born to do it — or you’re not gonna make it,” Urban said. “When you wake up on a tour bus at 3:30 in the morning and you’re sick as a dog, you’re in the middle of nowhere and you’ve got to play your fifth show later that night and you haven’t slept and you miss your friends and you’re missing your family and you’re completely lonely and miserable and sick and you say to yourself, ‘Why am I doing this?’”

He continued, “The only answer could be, ‘Because this is what I’m born to do.’ We’re going to find out who’s made of that stuff.”

Most recently, the “Blue Ain’t Your Color” singer performed at Australian billionaire Anthony Pratt’s private party at Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate on Nov. 15. He sang Bob Marley’s “Is This Love” and Chappell Roan’s “Pink Pony Club,” according to an Instagram post from user @tali.florida.

The 59th Annual CMA Awards broadcast live from Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena on Wednesday, Nov. 19 from 8 p.m. to 11 p.m. on ABC. The show streams the following day on Hulu.